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Call of Duty XP: Major Overhaul for Modern Warfare 3 Multiplayer

At today's Call of Duty XP keynote presentation in Los Angeles, Activision took the wraps off of Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer, a mode the devs referred to as the most profoundly changed, balanced Modern Warfare multiplayer ever.

Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling and Sledgehammer Games' Michael Condrey took the stage at CoD XP and promised fans the Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer would provide more choices, more playstyles, and more balance than ever before.

"Every element of the game has gotten more balance," Bowling said before listing off some of the changes. "No more one man army, no shotguns as secondary, no commando perk, no nuke, no last stand..."

Beyond those off the top tweaks, MW3's killstreak rewards have been completely revamped into Strike Packages. Killstreaks are no longer kill-based, they're point based, so players will earn points toward killstreaks not only with kills, but also by accomplishing objectives, getting assists, capturing flags, etc.

Exactly which Strike Packages players will have available to them will be based on the game's new loadout categories, which allows players to choose from Assault, Support, and Specialist classes. While weapons and equipment are not determined by the classes, the killstreaks are.

For example, with the Assault Strike Package, players will have access to air strikes, attack helicopters, and the like. The Support Strike Package will include recon drones, ballistic vests, and SAM turrets.

The Specialist Strike Package, however, will be a whole new ballgame. Instead of unlocking killstreaks, players will unlock perks, with the ability to chain together eight kills in a row and unlock every perk in the game.

"The Specialist is the greatest test of individual skill in a Modern Warfare game," Condrey said.

Condrey and Bowling also detailed Weapon Proficiency, a new weapon customization system that will allow players to modify and level up their weapon as they level up their character, or, as Bowling put it, "The weapon itself gets better as you get better." With Weapon Proficiency, players will be able to reduce sway and recoil, unlock two attachments, etc.

Last, a new mode is coming to the Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer: Kill Confirmed. It's a new form of team deathmatch where players don't earn points for kills, they earn points for picking up a downed enemies' dog tags after the kill.

See a good chunk of all of the new features and tweaks discussed today with a fresh look at the debut Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer trailer:

Spy Guy says: Spy Guy likee. Killstreaks needed a massive overhaul, and awarding players that actually try to accomplish objectives is a huge change for Modern Warfare multiplayer. And Weapon Proficiency is a terrific idea, but we're a bit worried if it will fit with the game's stated goal of greater balance. Looking forward to finding out.